Per the FAQ on Keane's website, Keane's drummer Richard Hughes, stated the following:
"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."
With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."
öåôéä äéúä éìãä
öåôéä ùéç÷ä ááåáåú
äéà ìà éãòä ùéåà à çã
úùëá òà öáé ðáåú
åà çøéå òà à ìçðï ãä-îéå
à çø ëê úéñò ìäåãå
úòáåã áðéå-éåø÷
åúùú÷ò áà åäéå
ùäéà úìã áï ìà ãâø îà ðå
à ùø îîðå úúâøù çéù
åúòáåø òà à äåáä ôéìéô ìøåù
ìîåðèä ÷øìå
ùáñåó ááé÷åø ÷éõ
òà çáøúä äëé èåáä ñåæà ðä
úîåú áúà åðú ãøëéÃ
áöåîú øòððä
à ú ëì à ìä ìà éãòä öåôéä
áùç÷ä ááåáåúéä
äéà ìà éãòä ùà éï ùåà ôùø à å îåáï
ìëì çééä
äéà ìà éãòä... äéà ìà éãòä...
öåôéä äéúä éìãä
öåôéä ùéç÷ä ááåáåú
äéà ìà éãòä ùéåà à çã
úùëá òà öáé ðáåú
ùáñåó ááé÷åø ÷éõ
òà çáøúä äëé èåáä ñåæà ðä
úîåú áúà åðú ãøëéÃ
áöåîú øòððä
ëé à éæå ãøê áä ðáåø
åúéøà ä òà îùîòåú åòøê
åîé îçìéè åîé áëìì éåãò
îé éåãò... îé éåãò...
öåôéä äéúä éìãä
ëê ðòæåá à åúä ìôé ùòä
äéà åáåáåúéä
ð÷éä îòúéãä
ëé à éæå ãøê áä ðáåø
åúéøà ä òà îùîòåú åòøê
åîé îçìéè åîé áëìì éåãò
îé éåãò... îé éåãò...
öåôéä ùéç÷ä ááåáåú
äéà ìà éãòä ùéåà à çã
úùëá òà öáé ðáåú
åà çøéå òà à ìçðï ãä-îéå
à çø ëê úéñò ìäåãå
úòáåã áðéå-éåø÷
åúùú÷ò áà åäéå
ùäéà úìã áï ìà ãâø îà ðå
à ùø îîðå úúâøù çéù
åúòáåø òà à äåáä ôéìéô ìøåù
ìîåðèä ÷øìå
ùáñåó ááé÷åø ÷éõ
òà çáøúä äëé èåáä ñåæà ðä
úîåú áúà åðú ãøëéÃ
áöåîú øòððä
à ú ëì à ìä ìà éãòä öåôéä
áùç÷ä ááåáåúéä
äéà ìà éãòä ùà éï ùåà ôùø à å îåáï
ìëì çééä
äéà ìà éãòä... äéà ìà éãòä...
öåôéä äéúä éìãä
öåôéä ùéç÷ä ááåáåú
äéà ìà éãòä ùéåà à çã
úùëá òà öáé ðáåú
ùáñåó ááé÷åø ÷éõ
òà çáøúä äëé èåáä ñåæà ðä
úîåú áúà åðú ãøëéÃ
áöåîú øòððä
ëé à éæå ãøê áä ðáåø
åúéøà ä òà îùîòåú åòøê
åîé îçìéè åîé áëìì éåãò
îé éåãò... îé éåãò...
öåôéä äéúä éìãä
ëê ðòæåá à åúä ìôé ùòä
äéà åáåáåúéä
ð÷éä îòúéãä
ëé à éæå ãøê áä ðáåø
åúéøà ä òà îùîòåú åòøê
åîé îçìéè åîé áëìì éåãò
îé éåãò... îé éåãò...
Lyrics submitted by Novartza
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